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Studies & Degrees in Primary Education

A degree in primary education trains teachers for the first stage of compulsory schooling. The age range depends on the country: in Spain primary education covers ages 6 to 12, and in England pupils usually start primary school at 4 to 5 and leave at 11. A primary teacher is a generalist who teaches one class most subjects; the Get Into Teaching service for England puts it as teaching "everything from maths to physical education".

In most countries teaching in state schools is a regulated activity. That makes the choice of programme a practical question: the degree has to be the one that the education authority of the country accepts.

What students learn

Programmes combine three things: educational foundations such as psychology of learning, child development and school organisation; the teaching of each school subject (language, mathematics, science, social studies, arts, music and physical education); and supervised practice in schools. At the Centro Universitario Cardenal Cisneros (CUCC) in Alcalá de Henares, for example, the 240 credits are divided into 60 of basic training, 100 compulsory, 24 optional, 6 transversal and 50 for school placements and the final project.

Many degrees add a specialisation. Spanish degrees may offer specialisations (menciones) of 30 to 60 credits; the Universidad de Murcia lists music education, English, French, therapeutic pedagogy and hearing and language. The University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) in Australia asks students to specialise in STEM or in English and literacy.

Qualifications and levels

  • Spain. Maestro en Educación Primaria is a regulated profession that requires the corresponding official bachelor's degree (grado). The degree has 240 ECTS credits, which is four years, and the placement (Practicum) takes place in the three cycles of primary education. At the Universidad de Murcia the degree is taught on campus in Spanish, with 280 first-year places and an admission cut-off mark of 9.77 for 2025-26; the university also has a bilingual group. CUCC offers the degree in Spanish, with teaching in English, and in a blended format.
  • England. Qualified teacher status (QTS) is needed to teach in maintained primary schools. To train, candidates need GCSEs at grade 4 (C) or above in English, maths and science, and a bachelor's degree in any subject, so many teachers qualify through postgraduate training after a first degree.
  • Australia. UniSC's Bachelor of Primary Education takes four years and includes 80 days of supervised teaching in schools. Students must pass the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education students, and graduates may be eligible to become members of the Queensland College of Teachers. International students on a student visa can only study full-time.
  • United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, elementary school teachers usually need at least a bachelor's degree, and public school teachers must also hold a state-issued certification or licence.
  • Master's and doctorate. After the first degree, teachers specialise through master's degrees (60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits in Spain) in areas such as special needs, school leadership or educational research.

Where to study it

The SpainExchange directory lists 166 schools for this subject. Spain and the United States have 62 each, followed by the United Kingdom (9), Australia (6), Chile (4), Canada (4) and Portugal (3). The list contains universities that train primary teachers and also schools that teach the primary years themselves, such as the American School of Valencia, which has an elementary school.

The language of instruction is normally the language of the school system the degree prepares for: Spanish in Spain and Latin America, English in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. Some Spanish centres teach part of the degree in English.

Before choosing, check where you want to teach. A degree gives direct access to the profession in the country that regulates it; elsewhere it has to be recognised. If you trained abroad and want to teach in Spain, ask the Spanish ministry responsible for universities how to have your degree recognised (homologación), because the profession is regulated.

Careers

Most graduates work as class teachers in public or private primary schools. Others move into special needs support, educational publishing, school leadership, tutoring or education policy; UniSC lists roles such as education consultant and education policy analyst among career outcomes.

In the United States there were about 1,530,500 jobs for kindergarten and elementary school teachers in 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment is projected to show little or no change from 2025 to 2035, but about 99,400 openings a year are expected, mostly to replace teachers who leave.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a primary education degree take?

Four years in Spain (240 ECTS credits) and four years for the Bachelor of Primary Education at UniSC in Australia. In England many teachers take a first degree in any subject and then a postgraduate teacher training course.

Can I teach in another country with my primary education degree?

Not automatically. Teaching in state schools is regulated in most countries: England requires qualified teacher status, US states require a certification or licence, and Spain requires the official degree of Maestro en Educación Primaria or a recognised equivalent.

Can I study primary education in English in Spain?

Some centres offer it. CUCC in Alcalá de Henares offers the degree with teaching in English, and the Universidad de Murcia has a bilingual group. Ask each school how much of the programme is taught in English.

Does the degree include teaching practice?

Yes. In Spain the placement takes place in the three cycles of primary education, and UniSC requires 80 days of supervised teaching.